Getting the Grant!

(NCArts.org)

I think Mother and I had both become sort of fatalistic about the possibility of our getting the Grant.  Ballad singers got it last year and, given that NC is packed full of AWESOME traditional practices, we figured this would not be our year.  I had enjoyed the process so much and was inspired to continue working on the project one way or another. 

The application was due in early March…and Covid-19 appeared on the scene shortly thereafter. I piddled around the house, started my garden, hung out my clothes to dry, fist fought (jk) with the kid over virtual learning, and learned how to make sourdough bread. Thoughts of the grant would sometimes wander through my mind but my hopes for getting it (and for mankind in general) had waned and I figured that our chances were slim or none. Then, on April 29th, 2020 I got a phone call from Mother and, though at first she was squealing too much for me to understand her, I finally realized that…WE GOT IT!! 2020 had been shaping up to be such a downer year that it was a sight for sore eyes to have one positive thing to look forward to, something to be inspired by, something to distract me and ground me while the rest of the world is shattered with social unrest.